Means for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine



March 20, 1934. A. WERNER 1,951,589

mums FOR DISTRIBUTING CIGARETTES DELIVERED mom A commuous ROD CIGARETTE MACHINE Filed Jan. 2, 1951 ITO Patented Mar. 20, 1934 MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING CIGARETTES DELIVERED FROM A CONTINUOUS ROD CIGARETTE MACHINE Albert Werner, Dresden, Germany, assignor to the firm Universelle Cigarettenmaschinen Fabrik J. Miiller & (30., Dresden, Germany Application January 2, 1931, Serial No. 506,081 InGermany May 7, 1930 5 Claims. (01. 131-39) With the progressively increasing speed of the continuous rod cigarette machines, the separate cigarettes which must be detached from the rod arrive at the distributing device at a very high speed and must be stopped in the distrib-' uting device because there is not sufllcient space available to allow them to-run out freely. This involves the danger of the front ends of the cigarettes becoming damaged by striking against the stoppage surfaces.

According to this invention, in order to overcome this drawback the apparatus is so designed that the cigarettes which are detached from the rod and which continue to move in the forward. direction arrive at a brakingsurface moved in a direction transverse to that of the forward movement of the cigarettes, in such manner that the cigarettes come continually into contact with fresh parts of the contact surfaces.

This causes a lateralbraking of the cigarettes, by which the ends of the preceding cigarettes are in no way affected. In this manner it is possible to cause the cigarettes to be stopped at a relatively low speed, so that there is no danger of the ends of the preceding cigarettes being damaged. The cigarettes stopped in this manner can be carried away in known manner by conveyer belts or the like; rimning transversely to the forward direction of movement.

Ihe braking surface is preferably formed by the edge of a rotating disc, which is suitably bent and helically or similarly shaped, the direction of rotation of this disc being such that the parts of the brake member which first come into contact with the cigarettes displace the cigarettes in a direction opposite to that of the forward movement. With this arrangement the most powerful braking effect is exerted if the cigarettes are led to the upper or lower points of the braking surface, but this braking has an advantageous efiect also in all other feeding positions of the cigarettes.

If it is desired to convey the cigarettes to two positions in known manner in connection with a mouthpiece or printing, so that similarly directed cigarettes are placed on each position suitably for the fitting of the mouthpiece or printing, the known sloping shaped deflecting surfaces can be used to which the cigarettes separated from the rod at a high speed are conducted by co-operating conveyer discs, whereby, according to the invention, the disc which becomes effective on the roof of the deflector is provided with a marginal bend, a part of which projects on one side and a part on the other side, in order to cause the cigarettes to be de-' posited on one or the other side.

One form of construction of the invention is illustrated in the annexed'drawing, in which:--

Fig. 1 is a side view. Fig. 2 is a view taken in the direction of movement of the rod.

Fig. 3 is a plan. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of the rotatin; disc.

The cigarettes Z cut by cutter 15 from the continuous cigarette rod SA are transferred in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, to the discs 1 and 2, the peripheries of which are shaped as shown in Fig. 3, so that the cig- 7 arettes arrive in the groove between the discs, the cross-sectional shape of which is adapted to the cigarettes. The discs 1 and 2, which are connected together in known manner by the cogwheels 3 and 4, are driven by the cogwheels 5 so that they impart to the cigarette engaged by the grooves, a lead in relation to the feeding speed of the rod, and discharge on to a plate 6. The plate 6 is connected to the disc '7 which rotates about the axle 8. The axle 8 is connected by the sprocket wheel f the chain 10 and the sprocket wheel 11 to the cogwheel 5, so that the disc '7 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. The outer edge of the disc '7 is bent in the manner shown in Figs. 2-4, the 85 half 7' being bent to the left and the other half '7 to the right (see Fig. 2) in relation to the surface of the disc. In the plate 6 a slot 6' is provided for the disc 7, which slot widens out at 6 to accommodate the outer edge of the disc. 9

The disc 7 is now moved in such relation to the cigarettes displaced by the discs 1 and 2, that a cigarette is first of all, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 3, passed off. by the oblique face 7'. When the cigarette meets the surface 7' or "I it is first of all gently braked, and the cigarette is brought into the position indicated by the chain-dot line in Fig. 3 and then on to the chute 12, whence the cigarettes are conducted to a conveyer belt 13, which feeds them to the collecting place etc. Now while one cigarette is passed to the chute 12, the following cigarette is diverted to the chute 12'. From the slideway 12 the cigarettes pass on to a conveyer belt 13 corresponding to the conveyer belt 13.

The oblique position of the outer face of the disc and the movement of the disc is preferably so arranged that the cigarettes which are delivered at a considerable speed by the discs 1 and 2 are gradually braked so as to avoid a sharp im- Eli pact of the cigarettes against the known impact surfaces; that is to say the loss of tobacco which sharp impact involves isavoided.

It must be noted that in the embodiments shown in Figs. 1-3, the braking of the cigarettes by the relative movement of the disc is slight. Thisbraking can, however, be increased if the plate 6 be displaced upwards in relation to the disc 7. If, for instance, the plate is placed at the height indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1, then the opposite movement of the disc '7 would cause a-considerable increase of braking effect.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim:

1. Apparatus for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine, comprising a rotatable member having a helically shaped rim and forming a braking surface displaceable in a direction transverse to that of the movement of the cigarette, and means for transferring the cigarettes to a position by the side of saidbraking surface sothat said cigarettes come continuously into contact with fresh parts of said braking surface.

2. Apparatus for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine comprising a braking surface displaceable in a direction transverse to that of the movement of said cigarettes separated from the cigarette rod, means for delivering said cigarettes to a position by the side of said braking surface so that said cigarettes come continuously into contact with fresh parts of said braking surface, said braking surface being formed by the rim of a rotatable disk bent in helical manner and means for rotating said disk in such direction that the part of its rim which first comes into contact with the respective cigarettes tends to displace them in a direction opposite to that of the forward movement of said cigarettes.

3. Apparatus for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine comprising, a braking surface displaceable in a direction transverse to the forward movement of said cigarettes, means for delivering cigarettes to a position by the side of said braking surface so that said cigarettes come continuously into contact with fresh parts of said braking surface, said means including means for detaching the cigarettes from the cigarette rod, said braking surface being formed by the rim of a rotatable disk having marginal bent portions extending on each side thereof, means for rotating said disk so that the part of its rim which first comes into contact with said cigarettes displaces them in a direction opposite to that of their forward movement, and sloped deflecting surfaces toward which the said cigarettes are fed by said braking disk.

4. Apparatus for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine comprising, means for gripping cigarettes delivcred from a continuous rod cigarette machine and imparting a lead thereto in relation to the feeding speed of the cigarette rod, a discharging plate onto which said cigarettes are fed from said first named means, a rotatable disc having its outer rim divided into two oppositely bent over portions located in the path of said cigarettes as theyare fed onto said plate and means to rotate said disc in such direction that the portions of the rim which first engages each cigarette tends to displace it in opposite direction to its forward movement, said bent over portions then moving the respective cigarettes laterally.

5. Apparatus for distributing cigarettes delivered from a continuous rod cigarette machine comprising two rotatable peripherally recessed discs for gripping cigarettes delivered from said cigarette machine and imparting a lead thereto in relation to the feeding speed of the cigarette rod, a discharging plate onto which said cigarettes are fed from said discs, a rotatable braking disc having its outer rim divided into two oppositely bent over portions passing through said plate in the path of said cigarettes as they are fed onto said plate, means to rotate said two first named discs and means coupled to said rotating means for rotating said braking disc in such direction that the portion of the rim thereof which first engages-each cigarette tends to displace the latter in opposite direction to its forward movement, said bent over portions then moving the respective cigarettes laterally and means onto which said laterallymoved cigarettes are received.

ALBERT WERNER. 

